Tuesday, July 09, 2013

QUESTION FOR ZIMMERMAN TRIAL WATCHERS: WHAT IF SHANE_HAD TAKEN PLACE IN FLORIDA?

Watch the video below. If you're familiar with director George Stevens' 1952 classic film Shane, you know what it's about. If you haven't seen Shane, take a look, and pay close attention.

The legend of Shane is set in a valley in late 19th Century Wyoming where, as the story goes, the closest law enforcement was three days' travel away. However, I'd like to know your answer to this hypothetical question:

What if the laws of current-day Florida were in place in Shane?

I'm not kidding. If what you just saw had taken place in Florida, could Jack Wilson, (Jack Palance) the grinning, black-hatted shooter, be convicted of a crime? Or was he simply defending his own life against hot-tempered so-called sodbuster Frank "Stonewall" Torrey (Elisha Cook, Jr.), who clearly drew a gun on him in front of plenty of witnesses?

I want to know what you think. I've got Disqus on my blog now, so it's easy to comment. Knock yourself out.

By the way, Shane is well worth watching if you've never seen it. It's not #45 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Classic American Movies for nothing. You can see it on Amazon or Netflix, and the Blu-ray is being released in August 2013.